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Hello all! I have not trained any kind of martial arts before and i am going to start learning aikido soon. I have a question; when will one be able to get first DAN ? (And also it'll be great if you can tell me where can i read more about this procedure..) thank you...

In response to your question about how long it'll take you to make shodan.

Standard question... there are a couple of good aikido FAQ areas to look at. For newbies, I suggest you find them and read as much as you can.

For this question... It depends. Of course what it depends on is: YOU(your intent, your "tools" you bring with you, how much you're willing to practice, how vunerable you are, your life situation, your future...); YOUR TEACHER/INSTRUCTOR (who they are, how good they are, who their teacher/s were, how you relate to them...); YOUR DOJO PARTNERS (who they are, how good they are, your relationship with them...);and as Tennessee Ernie Ford used to say, "if the Good Lord's willin and the creek don't rise."

If you want to know the best question about how long it'll take... ask your seniors what the average length of time to shodan is in your dojo and organization. There's are real answer to that question.

This question brings to mind that tale of a student approaching a great master and asking how long it will take him to master the art. The master tells him it will take at least ten years. This seems like ages to the young student, so he makes it clear that he is willing to train day and night. It would therefore take thirty years, the master replies. The student stresses that he will spare no effort and apply himself every moment of his life. In that case, the master replies, it will take you seventy years to master the art.

Now, I'm not saying it's bad to be focussed on a particular objective, but I think it's important to aim for what the belt represents in terms of skill, maturity and spirituality, rather than just the belt itself and perhaps the kudos it receives.

Originally posted by Chuck Clark I was promoted to shodan in 1964 in judo, karatedo, and jujutsu. I was "full of myself" of course and thought I had the sort of things you mentioned above, Benny.

Now days, I see promotion as representative of the responsibilities that go with it. The other qualities should be there of course.

Yes, indeed! Upon first being promoted to shodan, one may feel a great sense of acomplishment or think, "Damn, I'm good." But sooner or later it begins to sink in that you are actually expected to live up to the rank. People expect you to know the answers to technical, historical, linguistic, organizational, and philosophical questions. One's thinking then may become, "Gee, I hope no one notices that I suck."

Fortunately, it is possible to come to terms with both one's inadequacies and adequacies without exagerating them.